A partner in the Litigation Department, Eric Stone divides his practice between general commercial litigation and patent litigation. He has litigated and tried cases in State and federal courts across the country, and in arbitrations here and overseas.

Significant commercial cases include:

Private equity funds in litigation regarding the purchase or sale of various portfolio companies;

Trustees of a State’s largest municipal pension plans in an action against their former actuaries;

A leading technology and services company in employment litigation;

A major medical device manufacturer in a series of product liability class actions; and

Songwriters and music publishers in litigation to set the rates that online music providers pay to perform their music.

Significant patent cases include:

Genentech in litigation over a pathbreaking patent disclosing a method for creating antibodies using recombinant DNA techniques.

Biogen Idec in litigation regarding recombinant beta interferon.

Craig Thompson, M.D., the President of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in litigation related to Dr. Thompson’s prior work in cancer metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania.

Eric also maintains an active pro bono practice, and is a Trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Eric served as a notes and comments editor of the New York University Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Before law school, Eric participated in the New York City Urban Fellows program, working at the New York City Department of Correction.

Hon. Charles P. Sifton, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

Curtis has over 25 years of business valuation and litigation consulting experience. Industries served include wine/vineyard industry, financial services, real estate, professional service firms, wholesale and retail, alternative energy and manufacturing. He has performed forensic investigations in connection with partner and partnership disputes, shareholder disputes, damage analysis involving breach of fiduciary duty claims in securities litigation; calculation of economic damages and lost profits in cases involving misappropriation of trade secrets, product liability claims and wrongful termination cases. He has consulted on and testified in a broad of cases involving:

Misappropriation of Trade Secrets

Breach of fiduciary duty actions against investment advisors

Economic damages and earning loss

Actions against professionals

Construction claims and damages

Disputes arising out of Buy/Sell agreements

Business acquisitions and valuation

Personal injury and wrongful death claims

Solvency and fraudulent conveyance issues

Education & Professional Credentials

Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration—Golden Gate University

MBA/Taxation — Golden Gate University

BA/Accounting — Golden Gate University

Certified Public Accountant, licensed in 1978 in California

Certified in Financial Forensics in 2008 by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Professional Affiliations

Past Trustee and Chair — Board of Trustees, Golden Gate University

Board Chair — Rotary Foundation, San Francisco

Member Dean's Advisory Board — School of Accounting, and Golden Gate University

Lawrence M. Cirelli is a trial lawyer and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. His practice focuses on complex business litigation, including disputes among shareholders, owners, officers and directors of companies, fiduciary duty, contracts, professional liability, false advertising, trade secrets, non-competition agreements and unfair competition claims. He also represents clients in partnership and corporate dissolution actions. His experience as a certified public accountant brings a unique skill set and perspective to these types of matters. A significant part of his practice also involves the defense of consumer class actions. Larry has tried numerous jury and court trials, as well as arbitrations, in a range of cases spanning business torts, commercial contracts, business dissolutions, real estate, insurance, environmental, professional liability and products liability.

Professional Summary

Resourceful, results-oriented risk, compliance and investigations professional accomplished at both leading teams through fast-paced and high stakes investigations and working collaboratively and cost-effectively with business personnel to manage ethics and compliance risks. Strong executive presence, project management and constructive communication skills, with international experience.

Lead a specialized team focused on preventing, detecting and investigating suspicions of mortgage fraud for PNC’s mortgage business. In this leadership role, extensive involvement in team and individual performance management, professional development and initiatives around strong, constructive team engagement. Also consistently demonstrate strong risk management focus and success in leveraging intelligence obtained from investigations, industry interactions and discussions with law enforcement for mortgage fraud awareness, prevention and detection purposes within PNC’s mortgage business.

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP 1998 - 2011

Director of Forensic Services, Chicago, Illinois 2002-2011

Manage diverse teams through high profile, time sensitive, complex investigations for public and private companies. Interact with Board of Directors, senior executives, counsel and regulatory personnel. Extensive experience with global manufacturing and service companies.

"On call" expert for internal audit and compliance teams as they respond to a wide range of Sarbanes-Oxley "whistleblower" communications, address critical fraud, internal control and compliance risks both proactively and reactively and fulfil fraud, ethics and compliance training requirements.

Advocate for and advise companies on M&A agreement terms, including working capital and purchase price clauses and adjustments; analyze contract terms and supporting documentation to frame persuasive, supported positions and adjustment calculations.

Conduct investigative procedures on consecutive bank closings with the FDIC, with an in-depth understanding of the FDIC investigation process, protocols and focus.

Led due diligence teams in operational and financial analysis of prospective acquisition targets, with emphasis on rapid, relevant findings on quality of assets, earnings and projected cash flows. Extensive experience with in-bound capital, manufacturing and energy-related acquisitions.

Led due diligence teams assessing financial performance, creating and refining cash flow models and identifying and communicating key findings/recommendations to deal teams and client executives; advised and collaborated on strategic goals and due diligence activities.

Advised on incorporating key due diligence findings into pricing and contract terms and provided insight into profitability and cashflow to maximize deal value and address areas of risk.

Global Capital Markets Group Manager, London, UK 1998-2000

US GAAP and SEC specialist to foreign private issuers preparing to IPO and on 1933 and 1934 Act requirements. Advised companies on requirements for accessing US capital markets through registration with the SEC and guided the accounting and financial reporting components of their SEC filings.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Chairman's Award for creating and leading the "Women Leaders in Financial Services" initiative

Young Women's Leadership Charter School Board Member and Board Development & Membership Committee Chair

As a Certified Public Accountant, holder of the AICPA's Certified in Financial Forensics accreditation, a Certified Fraud Examiner and a Certified Forensic Accountant, Karen's areas of expertise include litigation services, generally accepted accounting standards, auditing standards compliance, fraud investigations, evaluation and implementation of internal controls, generally accepted accounting standards and international accounting standards. Karen has performed investigative and FCPA compliance work for more than twenty five years in numerous countries around the world.

Eric A. Sacks is a partner in the Firm’s Litigation Department. He is the Chair of Jenner & Block’s Technology Litigation Practice and a member of the Firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation and Antitrust Litigation Practices. Mr. Sacks is AV Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest peer recognition for ethical standards and legal ability.

Mr. Sacks practices in complex commercial litigation involving a variety of substantive areas of law. These include information technology outsourcing and other complex business agreements; antitrust and unfair competition; and corporate transactions, governance, and compensation.

Mr. Sacks represents companies, associations, and other entities in federal and state courts. Mr. Sacks also represents clients in arbitration and mediations. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Sacks counsels corporate clients and associations in antitrust matters.

Mr. Sacks was recognized as one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company in 2006. Mr. Sacks also is a fellow in the 2010 Class of Leadership Greater Chicago.

Mr. Sacks has served as a faculty member of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (“NITA”), teaching both trial advocacy and deposition skills. Mr. Sacks also often serves as a guest instructor for an intensive trial advocacy course taught at the University of Notre Dame Law School. Mr. Sacks also has spoken on a number of topics, including the use of expert witnesses.

Mr. Sacks serves on the Board of Directors of the Public Interest Law Initiative, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to encouraging attorneys to perform pro bono work service throughout their careers. He also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Anti-Defamation League for the Greater Chicago/Upper Midwest Region and on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

Mr. Sacks also has done a variety of pro bono work. In one matter, he represented a defendant charged with first-degree murder in a jury trial. In another matter, he helped obtain an acquittal after a bench trial for a defendant charged with carjacking. He also represented a defendant charged with burglary in a stipulated bench trial and on appeal. In a civil rights matter, Mr. Sacks represented a prisoner who claimed the use of excessive force by prison guards. In another civil rights suit, Mr. Sacks litigated a nationally recognized Fair Housing Act case on behalf of a husband and wife who alleged discrimination against their condominium association based on the husband’s Tourette’s syndrome. See Marthon v. Maple Grove Condo. Ass’n., 101 F. Supp. 2nd 1041 (N.D. Ill. 2000).

Mr. Sacks graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1992 and received a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Carleton College in 1989. From 1992 to 1994, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable John A. Nordberg of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.